Wind Project in Wyoming Envisions Coal Miners as Trainees -
By DIANE CARDWELLMAY 21, 2017
Goldwind Americas, an arm of a leading wind-turbine manufacturer based in China, has been expanding its business in the United States.
Robert Godby, director of the Center for Energy Economics
and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming, said the announcement could lead to a shift in thinking about the potential economic development benefits of wind projects.
Now it is trying to extend that policy to an unlikely place: Wyoming, which produces more coal than any other state
and has hardly welcomed the march of turbines across the country, even imposing a tax on wind-energy generation.
Called Goldwind Works, the program would begin next month with a series of informational meetings in Wyoming
and include a safety training and tower climb at a wind farm in Montana.
The chief executive, David Halligan, said in a telephone interview
that he expected coal workers to have relevant skills, mainly electrical and mechanical, and experience working under difficult conditions.
You have to be able to work at heights, and you have to be able to work at heights in a safe manner.”
The program could offer a needed boost.
On Thursday at an energy conference in Wyoming, the company announced plans for a free
training program for one of the nation’s fastest-growing jobs: wind farm technician.